Mineralogy

Code:

EMG0009

Acronym:

MIN

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Earth Sciences

Instance: 2012/2013 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Mining Engineering Department
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Mining and Geo-Environmental Engineering

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
LCEEMG	27	Plano de estudos oficial a partir de 2008/09	1	-	6	56	162

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

The main learning objectives are the following: concepts of “mineral” and “crystalline structure of matter”; main criteria of mineral systematics and classification;  major groups of minerals occurring in the earth’s crust – the particular case of common rock-forming silicates; basics of optical mineralogy for polarizing microscopy of rock and mineral thin sections; recognition of the occurrence of mineralogical transformations; simple thermodynamic models for the explanation of spontaneous mineralogical transformations.

Learning outcomes and competences

Skills to be acquired: identification of main mineral species occurring in the earth’s crust, by summary observations of hand specimens; determine the main optical properties of transparent minerals and identification of rock-forming minerals in the polarizing microscope (transmitted light).

Working method

Presencial

Program

Synthetic program. Part 1 – Definition of mineral and concept of crystalline structure. 1.1. Concept of mineral, commonest minerals in the earth’s crust: rock-forming minerals and ores. Bases of mineral systematics and classification; 1.2. Concept of crystalline structure and unit cell; 1.3. Basics of crystallography: identification of different crystal systems. Miller notation for crystal faces. Part 2 – Mineral systematics and descriptions. 2.1. Brief description of the commonest minerals for each group of Dana’s mineralogical classification. 2.2. Study of the silicates: structural classification of silicates. Part 3 – Fundamentals of optical mineralogy. 3.1. Physical properties of matter and representative surfaces. Isotropy and anisotropy of a mineral in relation to a physical property. Symmetry of a physical property and Neumman’s principle. 3.2. Brief description of nature and properties of light. Transmission of light in optically isotropic transparent minerals: reflection, refraction and dispersion. Refractive index of a mineral. 3.4. Transmission of light in optically anisotropic transparent solids: double refraction and polarization; birefringence of a mineral. 3.5. Optical indicatrix; types of optical indicatrix. Spheres, ellipsoids of revolution and three axes ellipsoids. 3.6 Relation between crystal structure and optical indicatrix. Optically isotropic and anisotropic (uniaxial and biaxial) minerals. Part 4 – Mineralogical transformations. 4.1. Stability, free energy and entropy. 4.2. Helmholtz free energy. 4.3. Subsolidus phase diagrams for solid solutions and polymorphic transitions.

Practical Classes: identification of minerals in hand specimen using physical properties of simple determination; microscopic study of transparent minerals in polarized light.

 

Mandatory literature

J. D. Dana, Cornelis Klein, Cornelius S. Hurlbut, Jr.; Manual of mineralogy. ISBN: 0-471-82182-9
Cornelis Klein ; with continued contribution of Cornelius S. Hurlbut, Jr.; Manual of mineral science. ISBN: 0-471-25177-1
Paul F. Kerr; Optical Mineralogy. ISBN: 0-07-034218-0
W. S. Mackenzie and C. Guilford; Atlas of rock-forming minerals in thin section. ISBN: 0-582-45591-X

Complementary Bibliography

Frederico Sodré Borges; Elementos de cristalografia
Putnis, Andrew; Introduction to mineral sciences. ISBN: 0-521-42947-1

Teaching methods and learning activities

In addition to theoretical classes, the curricular unit of mineralogy also works trying to develop students’ abilities of observation to the identification of the common rock forming minerals. For this reason, both theoretical and practical classes take place in rooms where exists a wide of samples of rock, minerals and thin sections.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Description	Type	Time (hours)	Weight (%)	End date
	Teste	4,00	40,00
	Trabalho escrito		20,00
	Trabalho escrito		40,00
	Total:	-	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Description	Type	Time (hours)	End date
	Frequência das aulas	22
	Trabalho laboratorial	26
	Trabalho laboratorial	20
	Elaboração de relatório/dissertação/tese	30
	Estudo autónomo	60
	Total:	158,00

Eligibility for exams

To obtain attendance in the mineralogy course is necessary: Do not exceed the maximum limit of classes missed (25% of the total theoretical and practical classes); deliver the reports of laboratory and microscopic activities.

Calculation formula of final grade

The student’s assessment will be determined by: 1) two theoretical mini-tests; 2) Monograph about themes integrated in the course syllabus; 3) Reports of laboratory and microscopic activities. The calculation of the final classification will be obtained by considering: 40% of the practical reports classification, 20% of the monographic work classification; 40% of the average classification of the mini-tests.

The deadline for submission of monograph and practical work reports is the beginnig's eve of the 2^nd examination period.